Saleh Ali al-Sammad | |
|---|---|
صالح علي الصماد | |
.png) Al-Sammad in 2018 | |
| Chairman of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen* | |
| In office 15 August 2016 – 19 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Talal Aklan (Acting) Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour |
| Deputy | Qassem Labozah |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Ali al-Houthi (as President of the Revolutionary Committee) |
| Succeeded by | Mahdi al-Mashat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1979 Bani Ma'az, Sahar District, North Yemen (now Yemen) |
| Died | 19 April 2018 (aged 39)[1] Al Hudaydah Governorate, Yemen |
| Cause of death | LJ-7 missile[2] |
| Alma mater | Sanaa University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Houthi movement |
| Battles/wars | Houthi insurgency in Yemen Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) |
| *Sammad's term was disputed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. | |
Saleh Ali al-Sammad (Arabic: صالح علي الصماد; 1 January 1979 – 19 April 2018[3]) was a Yemeni political figure from the Houthi movement who served as the chairman of Yemen's Supreme Political Council and the de facto President of Yemen until his assassination.
On April 23, 2018, Houthi officials announced al-Sammad was killed in a Saudi-led coalition drone airstrike.[4][5]
Saleh Ali al-Sammad was born in Bani Ma'az in Yemen's Sahar District on 1 January 1979.[6]
He was appointed in September 2014 to serve as a political adviser to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.[7]
Al-Sammad struck a conciliatory posture during and after the 2014–15 coup. In November 2014, after the Houthis withdrew from Yemen's "unity government", he expressed support for most of Hadi's cabinet choices, including Prime Minister Khaled Bahah.[7]
As of February 2015, after the Houthi takeover of the government, he was described as "the senior Houthi leader in Sana'a".[8]
In February 2015, al-Sammad said the Houthis hoped for normal relations with the United States and other countries and suggested that the group was interested in sharing power with other political factions, potentially including members of the deposed House of Representatives in a new, 551-member parliament.[8]
On 6 August 2016, al-Sammad became head of the Supreme Political Council.[9] He was sworn in on 14 August.[10]
On 15 August 2016, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee handed power to the Supreme Political Council.[11]
On 23 April 2018, Al-Samad was killed by a Saudi-led coalition drone strike, making him the most senior Houthi casualty. The weapon was a LJ-7 or AKD-10 air-to-surface missile, possibly fired from a Wing Loong II UCAV.[12]
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the top leader of the Houthi movement, stated that "the forces of aggression, led by America and Saudi Arabia, bear the legal responsibility for this crime and all its consequences."[13]
